The present invention relates generally to lacrosse equipment, and more particularly, to a lacrosse training aid, as well as methods of manufacture and use.
Conventional lacrosse sticks include a basket, or head, joined to a handle, or shaft. The head includes a frame that forms a region within which a lacrosse ball can be caught, held or from which the ball is shot. A netting structure is joined with the back side of the frame, typically laced through multiple small holes defined by the frame. The netting structure typically forms a pocket within which the ball is held while a player is in possession of the ball, and can be a determinant factor as to the player's ability to catch, retain and shoot the ball.
Lacrosse is an ancient game that originated with the Native Americans in North America, particularly in the northeastern United States and Canada. Traditionally, lacrosse sticks were made of wood, usually hickory or ash, and were one integrated piece of equipment so the shaft was not a separate and replaceable part. These sticks were handcrafted and varied in quality in terms of strength, weight, feel and balance in the player's hands. These wooden handles were susceptible to breakage, were heavy and had inconsistent quality, which proved disadvantageous from both a playability and safety standpoint. Also, because the shafts and the lacrosse stick head were one integrated piece of equipment; if the shaft broke the entire stick had to be replaced.
In 1967, the molded plastic lacrosse sticks head, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,507,495, was developed, which greatly revolutionized the sport of lacrosse. The invention allowed lacrosse sticks to be mass produced, as well as manufactured with consistency in terms of quality and consistency in shape. Wood shafts continued to be used, although they were still susceptible to breakage and were too heavy as compared to the new non-wood sticks.
In the 1970s, shafts of metallic construction, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,037,841, were developed. These metal shafts, in large measure, replaced the wood lacrosse stick handles, particularly in the men's game. The advantage of such construction was that the metal shafts could be mass produced with uniform quality, strength and weight, and were generally stronger than wood shafts.
Today, lacrosse stick shafts are made from a variety of materials such as aluminum, chrome, aluminum alloy, titanium, Kevlar, scandium, magnesium, and other composite materials, such as graphite loaded plastics, which are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,739,994, and are lighter and in some cases, stronger, than wood or the first metal shafts. Historically, most improvements to lacrosse stick shafts were directed to the use of new and different materials with minor additional modifications such as knurling or the like as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,206,918. All handles were very basic in their shape, generally octagonal, elliptical, oval, cylindrical, round or hexagonal or a combination thereof in cross-section and all were straight from end to end.
In lacrosse, the ability to grasp the shaft in a manner and with an ability to handle the ball is critical. It is needed to perform essential activities, such as cradling, scooping, throwing, or shooting the ball. In particular, when cradling the ball, a player needs to grip the shaft such that the outer ends of their fingers are able to roll the shaft into the palm of one's hand. Such a motion is not intuitive, and utilizes muscles not typically relied on in other activities or sports. As such, it is a difficult task to perform by a user, and difficult to teach for a coach. It is also a skill which requires a lot of practice to master.
In sports such as baseball, it is known that weights in the form of rigid rings may be added to the bat to improve strength, act as a stretching routine, and improve agility. These rings are secured by the increasing dimension of a standard bat. Lacrosse sticks, however, typically utilize fairly uniform width sticks. Therefore the ability to add weight to a lacrosse stick requires a more complex solution. In order to add weight to a lacrosse stick, it must be adequately secured to avoid slippage or disconnect. Additionally, the motion of use of a lacrosse stick during use practice involves a plurality of angles and speeds which are not present when using a bat. Therefore, any added weight must be suitably secured to stay on the shaft during such motions.
Further, it is also desirable for such added weight to be positioned in close proximity to optimize effect. The added momentum can be highly beneficial to a player's development. Since it is desirable for such a weight to be added to a player's existing stick, it is necessary that any such weight be easily installed and removed. Additionally, it would also be beneficial to have a training weight which could grow with the user. As a player gets older and more mature, it would be useful to have a training weight which was adaptable so that more weight could be added thereto.
It would therefore be highly desirable to have a weighted stick practice aid that was simply and securely attachable to a wide variety of lacrosse stick assemblies. It would further be highly desirable to have such a weighted stick practice aid that added weight to the lacrosse stick assembly in close proximity to the lacrosse head. Finally, it would be highly desirable for such a weighted aid to be simply and easily removable prior to use of the lacrosse stick assembly in play. This would allow an athlete to utilize the weight assembly to warm up and stretch prior to entering official play.
Much of the attention in improving lacrosse sticks, has focused on improving its grip. U.S. Pat. No. 6,500,079 to Tucker, Sr., for example, teaches a variable hand placement sports equipment shaft or handle, such as a lacrosse stick, that includes a shaft and at least one overlay attached to the shaft at a location of frequent hand placement that contains ribs, grooves, hourglass and conical shapes. The overlays are preferably made of a material that is soft, pliable, deformable and tacky so as to provide the player with a better grip on the handle. Similar overlays are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,890,355 to Schulten, U.S. Pat. No. 5,482,270 to Smith, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,867,868 to Ward.
Furthermore, other modifications to shafts for improved handling are available in the prior art. For example, U.S. Patent Application Publications 2005/0130759 and 2005/0130773, both to Hayden et al., teach lacrosse sticks with an improved grip and feel due to expanded portions and contoured locations for users' hand(s). An inward tapered portion and expanded portion allegedly assist a player in controlling the shaft, cradling a ball, passing and shooting.
The majority of training weights are general purpose devices such as ankle weights, weight vests, wrist weights, and weight belts that attach to the athlete's body. Another general category is weighted devices that mimic the shape and size of sports equipment. Two such devices are outlined in United States Patent Applications 20040176194 (Lacrosse training device) and 20050261075 (Sports training and conditioning device). The other general category includes training weights which attach to sports equipment and are targeted at specific sports such as baseball, tennis, golf, hockey, and lacrosse. The majority of these devices are intended to be attached to the handle or shaft of the sports equipment. Examples are outlined in United States Patent Applications 20050277491 (Adjustable weight training belt for a baseball bat), 20040259666 (Weighted training tape), 20020128085 (Swing weight) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,993,325 (Flexible swing weight). The category of the present invention is those devices that attach to the head of the sports equipment. One such device for tennis rackets is outlined in U.S. Pat. No. 3,330,560, issued Jul. 11, 1967.
Two weight training products are currently found marketed in the general merchandise catalogs for lacrosse. The first product is a weighted lacrosse handle marketed by Warrior, the Powermaster Training Handle and is not in the category of the present invention. The second product is the Warrior Weighted Stick Doughnut. This second product attaches at the bottom of the lacrosse head and around the top of the lacrosse handle, concentrating the entire weight locally. A disadvantage of the second product and other prior art weighted training devices is the use of fabric as the outer casing to hold the weight medium. Fabric is flexible and allows these prior art training weights to wrap around sports equipment and an athlete's body parts. However, fabric has no structural rigidity. This lack of structural rigidity allows undue relative motions of the prior art devices during use. With a fabric casing, both shifting of the weight device relative to the sports equipment and shifting of the weight medium relative to the fabric casing occur. These undesirable relative motions are exaggerated by the back and forth rotational cradling motion required in lacrosse.
Despite the attempts to improve lacrosse training devices, and the attempt to utilize weighted training in such devices, there remains a strong need for an improved lacrosse stick weighting device which is easy to install, and whose weight is adjustable to accommodate players of different strength.